Four Women Who Are Leaving Their High-Level Posts at Colleges and Universities

Mary Beahm, interim vice president of human resources at Pennsylvania State University, has announced her retirement from the university, effective January 2019. She has been serving as the school’s chief human resources officer. Throughout her career at Penn State, Beahm has held a number of positions including associate vice president of human resources and senior director of talent acquisition and compensation. Regarding her retirement, Beahm said “Penn State has been an integral part of my life in so many ways; I take great pride in having served as its chief human resources officer during a period of such significant transformation and increasing global prominence.”

Beahm holds a bachelor’s degree in human development, individual and family studies, and an MBA from Pennsylvania State University.

Joy Kenseth, professor emerita of art history at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, is retiring after 43 years with the university. Her research interests include Renaissance and Baroque art, as well as the particular contributions of major figures, such as Velazquez, Rembrandt, and Michelangelo. Upon her retirement, Professor Kenseth said, “I shall always be grateful to them and to my interesting and talented colleagues on the faculty who have made my years at the college such a great privilege.”

Dr. Kenseth holds a bachelor’s degree from Hiram College in Ohio and a master’s degree and Ph.D. both from Harvard University.

Liz Liddy, dean of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, has announced her retirement, effective at the end of this academic year. She has served as dean since 2008. During her tenure, the School of Information Studies increased undergraduate enrollment by 71 percent and graduate enrollment by 66 percent, created New York’s first graduate certificate program in data science, established a minor in data analytics, and raised more than $26.2 million in funding for research and development.

Dr. Liddy began her career at Syracuse University as a visiting professor in 1983. “SU has been my home, both professionally and personally, for more than three decades,” says Dean Liddy. “We have accomplished great things as a school and as a University. What makes SU special is the people, commitment to innovation and relentless pursuit of excellence.” Dr. Liddy holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Daemen College in Amherst, New York, and a master of library science degree and Ph.D. in information transfer from Syracuse University.

AnnaLee Saxenian, dean of the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, is stepping down as dean and will be returning to her full-time faculty position effective next summer. She has been a professor at Berkeley since 1989 and has served as dean since 2004. During her tenure, she doubled the school’s faculty and the size of its Ph.D. program. Additionally, she oversaw the development of two professional online master’s programs.

Dr. Saxenian holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She earned a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.